29 July 1956 in Clifton, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire [registered in Nottingham,
September 1956].Attended Greencroft Middle School and Fairham
Comprehensive, Clifton

Source

Some sources, like is own
autobiography, state 29 July.
The PFA states 29 August 1956. Another source, Football Unites, Racism Divides states 29
November. Viv himself, personally stated, says he was born on 29 July
1956.

Married

to Debra
E. Tassi[registered in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire]

Height/Weight

5' 11", 10 st
4lbs [1983]

Source

Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Biographies

Viv Anderson - Andrew Longmore.
[Heinemann Kingswood, London: 1988]

Covers the
distinguished career from 1974 of the England international right-back
during his playing days with Nottingham Forest and Arsenal before his 1987
move to Manchester United. This publication pre-dates his time with
Sheffield Wednesday and subsequent move into management. -
A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

First Among
Unequals - Lynton Guest.
[Right Recordings, London: 2010]

Club Career

Club(s): Played
schoolboy football in Nottingham before joining Nottingham Forest FC as an
apprentice, turning professional in August 1974. He
played in 328 league matches, scoring fifteen times. Joined Arsenal FC
in July 1984 for £275,000 and featured in
another 120 league appearances, scoring nine. Joined Manchester United FC as Alex
Ferguson's first signing in May 1987 for a tribunal-set fee of £250,000,
going on to play in 54 league matches, scoring
three.
Anderson left on a free transfer, joining Sheffield Wednesday FC in January 1991,
playing another 70 league matches, scoring eight.
He joined Barnsley FC in June 1993 in the role of player-manager,
playing twenty league matches, scoring three.
Played for Middlesbrough FC in 1994-95. Played
twice in the league, then retired from playing at the
end of the season.

PFA Division
One Team of the Year 1978-79, 1979-80, 1986-87; Awarded the
MBE 31 December 1999. Inducted into the
National Hall of Fame 2004.
One of 100 great black Britons.

Distinctions

None

Source

Barry J. Hugman's PFA
Yearbook [1995].

Management Career

Club(s): Became the
player-manager of Barnsley FC in June 1993. Resigned from his post
less than a year later after narrowly missing out on relegation. Joined Middlesbrough FC as Bryan Robson's assistant, still registered as a
player, and did so twice in the 1994-95 promotion winning season.
Left the club in June 2001.

Whilst playing at
Manchester Utd, the club he has supported since being a child, he was
introduced to sports events company, North West Events. The biggest
independent dealer of corporate hospitality at Old Trafford, as well as
for other venues including the Manchester Arena, Viv works from their
offices in Altrincham, attends matchdays in the corporate boxes and also
commentates for MUTV. He has also been a sports consultant and helped
deliver training camps in Dubai for touring teams and helped set up their
Soccer Academy. - Sportsworksuk.com

Viv Anderson - Career Statistics

Squads

Apps

Comp.
Apps

Starts

Sub on

Sub off

Mins.

Goals

Goals
Av.min

Comp.
Goals

Capt.

Disc.

50+

30

19

30

0

0

2700

2

1350 min

2

none

none

Due to the fact that
many matches rarely stuck to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time
for injuries, errors and substitutions. The minutes here
given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only
an approximation.

Viv Anderson - Match Record - All Matches

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts
%

W/L

Home

12

8

3

1

20

3

+17

3

9

1.667

0.083

79.2

+7

Away

16

6

6

4

24

10

+14

7

9

1.50

0.625

56.3

+2

Neutral

2

2

0

0

5

1

+4

0

1

2.50

0.50

100.0

+2

All

30

16

9

5

49

14

+35

10

19

1.633

0.467

68.3

+11

Viv Anderson - Match Record - By Type of Match

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

WCP

6

3

3

0

14

1

+13

2

5

2.333

0.167

75.0

+3

WCF

0

0

0

0

0

0

=0

0

0

0.00

0.00

0.00

=0

World Cup

6

3

3

0

14

1

+13

2

5

2.333

0.167

75.0

+3

ECP

5

4

1

0

9

0

+9

1

5

1.80

0.00

90.0

+4

ECF

1

1

0

0

2

1

+1

0

0

2.00

1.00

100.0

+1

European
Championship

6

5

1

0

11

1

+10

1

5

1.833

0.167

91.7

+5

British Championship

4

2

1

1

5

1

+4

2

3

1.25

0.25

78.1

+1

Rous Cup

2

0

1

1

1

2

-1

1

0

0.50

1.00

25.0

-1

Minor
Tournament/Cup

1

0

0

1

0

1

-1

1

0

0.00

1.00

0.00

-1

Friendly

11

6

3

2

18

8

+10

3

6

1.636

0.727

68.2

+4

All

30

16

9

5

49

14

+35

10

19

1.633

0.467

68.3

+11

Viv Anderson
- Match Record - Tournament Matches

World Cup Preliminary Competition

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

WCP 1980-82

2

1

1

0

4

0

+4

1

2

2.00

0.00

75.0

+1

WCP 1984-86

4

2

2

0

10

1

+9

1

3

2.50

0.25

75.0

+2

WCP All

6

3

3

0

14

1

+13

2

5

2.333

0.167

75.0

+3

World Cup Final Tournament

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

WCF 1982

0

0

0

0

0

0

=0

0

0

0.00

0.00

0.00

=0

WCF 1986

0

0

0

0

0

0

=0

0

0

0.00

0.00

0.00

=0

WCF All

0

0

0

0

0

0

=0

0

0

0.00

0.00

0.00

=0

World Cup

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

WC 1980-82

2

1

1

0

4

0

+4

1

2

2.00

0.00

75.0

+1

WC 1982-86

4

2

2

0

10

1

+9

1

3

2.50

0.25

75.0

+2

WC All

6

3

3

0

14

1

+13

2

5

2.333

0.167

75.0

+3

European Championship Preliminary Competition

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

ECP 1978-80

1

1

0

0

2

0

+2

0

1

2.00

0.00

100.0

+1

ECP 1986-88

4

3

1

0

7

0

+7

1

4

1.75

0.00

87.5

+3

ECP All

5

4

1

0

9

0

+9

1

5

1.80

0.00

90.0

+4

European Championship Final Tournament

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

ECF 1980

1

1

0

0

2

1

+1

0

0

2.00

1.00

100.0

+1

ECF 1988

0

0

0

0

0

0

=0

0

0

0.00

0.00

00.0

=0

ECF All

1

1

0

0

2

1

+1

0

0

2.00

1.00

100.0

+1

European Championship

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

EC 1978-80

2

2

0

0

4

1

+3

0

1

2.00

0.50

100.0

+2

EC 1986-88

4

3

1

0

7

0

+7

1

4

1.75

0.00

87.5

+3

EC All

6

5

1

0

11

1

+10

1

5

1.833

0.167

91.7

+5

British Championship Competition

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

BC 1980-81

2

0

1

1

0

1

-1

2

1

0.00

0.50

50.0

-1

BC 1981-82

1

1

0

0

4

0

+4

0

1

4.00

0.00

100.0

+1

BC 1983-84

1

1

0

0

1

0

+1

0

1

1.00

0.00

100.0

+1

BC All

4

2

1

1

5

1

+4

2

3

1.25

0.25

78.1

+1

Rous Cup Tournaments

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

RC 1984-85

1

0

0

1

0

1

-1

1

0

0.00

1.00

0.00

-1

RC 1987-88

1

0

1

0

1

1

=0

0

0

1.00

1.00

50.0

=0

RC All

2

0

1

1

1

2

-1

1

0

0.50

1.00

25.0

-1

Minor Competition

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

Azteca 1985

1

0

0

1

0

1

-1

1

0

0.00

1.00

0.00

-1

TC All

1

0

0

1

0

1

-1

1

0

0.00

1.00

0.00

-1

All Competition

Type

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

FTS

CS

FAv

AAv

Pts%

W/L

WC

6

3

3

0

14

1

+13

2

5

2.333

0.167

75.0

+3

EC

6

5

1

0

11

1

+10

1

5

1.833

0.167

91.7

+5

BC

4

2

1

1

5

1

+4

2

3

1.25

0.25

78.1

+1

RC

2

0

1

1

1

2

-1

1

0

0.50

1.00

25.0

-1

TC

1

0

0

1

0

1

-1

1

0

0.00

1.00

0.00

-1

All

19

10

6

3

31

6

+25

7

13

1.632

0.316

68.4

+7

Viv Anderson
- Match History

Club:Nottingham Forest F.C. - 11 full caps

Coach: Ron Greenwood - 10
full capsx

Age 21

1

b

30 May 1978 - Malaysia A 1 England 1,
Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

tour

AD

Start

2

2

b

7 June 1978 - New Zealand A 0 England 4,
Christchurch

AW

Start

2

3

b

11 June 1978 - New Zealand A 1 England 3,
Wellington

AW

Start

2

4

b

14 June 1978 - New Zealand A 0 England 4,
Auckland

AW

Start

2

5

b

18 June 1978 - Singapore A 0 England 8,
National Stadium, Singapore City

History was made on an icy
cold, dank Wembley evening [in November 1978].

Viv
Anderson, then a key part of Brian Clough's newly promoted Nottingham Forest
side that was taking the top flight by storm, was selected at right-back by
manager Ron Greenwood for England's friendly against reigning European
champions Czechoslovakia at Wembley Stadium.

Nowadays, the colour of a
player's skin doesn't warrant so much as a passing mention in the media, but
in 1978, at a time when black players were routinely abused from the terraces,
Anderson's appearance grabbed the headlines.

And while the game itself was a
tepid affair, the then 22-year-old was inadvertently blazing a trail in which
the likes of John Barnes, Ian Wright and Paul Ince, England's first black
captain, would follow.

"The game itself was fairly
non-eventful" Anderson recalls. "It was a cold evening and I remember one
half of the pitch was soft, the other was hard - nothing like the green baize
you see at Wembley these days. We had to change boots at half-time.
Fortunately I had a hand in the goal and we won 1-0."

If the game itself was nothing
special, Anderson was acutely aware of its wider significance. "Of course I
was, because it was a big thing at the time. There were no black faces on the
football field.

"Ok, there was Brendan Batson -
and Clyde Best before him - but that was it. And to be the first black player
to don an England shirt in a full international, I can see why people made a
bit of a fuss."

Anderson, who was Bryan
Robson's assistant-manager at Boro from 1994-2001, cites Trevor Brooking and
captain Kevin Keegan as being instrumental in helping him prepare mentally for
the occasion. "They were the big players at the time and it was good to have
them on hand to pass on some of their knowledge and experience.

And it wasn't just fellow pros
who showed their support, as the England faithful made their voices heard too.

"It
was a very positive reaction from the terraces. To them, it was all about the
football." Anderson went on to play 30 times for England, being selected
for two World Cup squads.

Thirty years later and
England's....game against Germany in Berlin [2007] saw seven black players
make an appearance.

He urges those currently on the
fringes of the squad to be persistent in waiting for their break.

"The likes of (Ashley) Young
and (Gabriel) Abonglahor are talented individuals whose chance will come if
their attitude is right. They need to listen to the older pros like I
did and appreciate every ounce of time they have as part of the national set
up.

Anderson, who now works in
events in Manchester and is an ambassador for the anti-racism body Kick It
Out, looks back fondly on his England years.

"I played in an age where it
wasn't the norm for a black man to represent his country so to do it not just
once, but 30 times, is more than I could've ever asked for."

Kick It Out spokesman, Piara
Powar, added: "Many of today's younger England fans will take for granted the
black faces in Fabio Capello's team. But in 1978, it was a rarity to see
a young black man achieving so highly, both on the football pitch and society
in general. This is a milestone
for Viv, and gives the rest of us an opportunity to take stock of a
significant turning point for sport in this country."

Viv Anderson began his career
at Nottingham Forest in 1974 and spent a total of 10 years at his hometown
club, winning numerous honours including a league title, two League Cups and
two European Cups. He had spells with Arsenal, Manchester United and
Sheffield Wednesday and was player manager at Barnsley before linking up with
Bryan Robson at Boro, for whom he played twice. - Gazettelive